Perkins told Lamontagne that residential burglary involving firearms was one of the most serious felonies, and declined to lower his bail.

■ A 27-year-old transient faces a charge of trafficking in methamphetamine despite his insistence the substance removed from his vehicle was a fish tank chemical.

Jacob Pacheaco was arrested Wednesday during a traffic stop on Harvest Avenue and Chichester Drive in Gardnerville.

Pacheaco reportedly told the arresting officer he had a medical marijuana card, but could not produce the document. Pacheaco handed over 9.5 grams of marijuana and rolling papers in the vehicle, and said he had smoked marijuana an hour before.

He also lacked a driver’s license, insurance or vehicle registration. He told the officer the vehicle belonged to an acquaintance who was incarcerated in another jurisdiction.

A search of the vehicle turned up a metal container with 20.1 grams of a white, crystalline substance believed to be methamphetamine, several small plastic bags, a scale, a knife and a casino player card bent in half.

Pacheaco appeared Friday in East Fork Justice Court and told Judge Tom Perkins he could not read or write.

He asked Perkins when the substance would be tested at the lab and if it would be before Wednesday’s schedule hearing.

“It’s not meth that they found in there,” he said.

He told the arresting officers the powder was for a fish tank.

“At this point, we’re not in a trial situation, even if it’s powdered milk,” Perkins said.

He set a Feb. 7 preliminary hearing and told Pacheaco that prosecutors have to prove he did something wrong “or you get to go home.”

He lowered Pacheaco’s bail from $40,368 to $25,000, in line with a trafficking charge.